Add Telegram Channel

Adds Telegram bot support via the Chat SDK bridge.

Install

NanoClaw doesn't ship channels in trunk. This skill copies the Telegram adapter, its formatting/pairing helpers, their tests, and the pair-telegram setup step in from the channels branch.

Pre-flight (idempotent)

Skip to Credentials if all of these are already in place:

• src/channels/telegram.ts, telegram-pairing.ts, telegram-markdown-sanitize.ts (and their .test.ts siblings) all exist
• src/channels/index.ts contains import './telegram.js';
• setup/pair-telegram.ts exists and setup/index.ts's STEPS map contains 'pair-telegram':
• @chat-adapter/telegram is listed in package.json dependencies

Otherwise continue. Every step below is safe to re-run.

1. Fetch the channels branch

git fetch origin channels

2. Copy the adapter, helpers, tests, and setup step

git show origin/channels:src/channels/telegram.ts                        > src/channels/telegram.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/telegram-pairing.ts                > src/channels/telegram-pairing.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/telegram-pairing.test.ts           > src/channels/telegram-pairing.test.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/telegram-markdown-sanitize.ts      > src/channels/telegram-markdown-sanitize.ts
git show origin/channels:src/channels/telegram-markdown-sanitize.test.ts > src/channels/telegram-markdown-sanitize.test.ts
git show origin/channels:setup/pair-telegram.ts                          > setup/pair-telegram.ts

3. Append the self-registration import

Append to src/channels/index.ts (skip if already present):

import './telegram.js';

4. Register the setup step

In setup/index.ts, add this entry to the STEPS map (right after the register line is fine; skip if already present):

'pair-telegram': () => import('./pair-telegram.js'),

5. Install the adapter package (pinned)

pnpm install @chat-adapter/telegram@4.26.0

6. Build

pnpm run build

Credentials

Create Telegram Bot

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts:
   • Bot name: Something friendly (e.g., "NanoClaw Assistant")
   • Bot username: Must end with "bot" (e.g., "nanoclaw_bot")
3. Copy the bot token (looks like 123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11)

Important for group chats: By default, Telegram bots only see @mentions and commands in groups. To let the bot see all messages:

1. Open @BotFather > /mybots > select your bot
2. Bot Settings > Group Privacy > Turn off

Configure environment

Add to .env:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-bot-token

Sync to container: mkdir -p data/env && cp .env data/env/env

Next Steps

If you're in the middle of /setup, return to the setup flow now.

Otherwise, run /manage-channels to wire this channel to an agent group.

Channel Info

• type: telegram
• terminology: Telegram calls them "groups" and "chats." A "group" has multiple members; a "chat" is a 1:1 conversation with the bot.
• how-to-find-id: Do NOT ask the user for a chat ID. Telegram registration uses pairing — run pnpm exec tsx setup/index.ts --step pair-telegram -- --intent <main|wire-to:folder|new-agent:folder>, show the user the 4-digit CODE from the PAIR_TELEGRAM_ISSUED block (follow the REMINDER_TO_ASSISTANT line in that block), and tell them to send just the 4 digits as a message from the chat they want to register (DM the bot for main, post in the group otherwise). In groups with Group Privacy ON, prefix with the bot handle: @<botname> CODE. Wrong guesses invalidate the code — if a PAIR_TELEGRAM_ATTEMPT block arrives with a mismatched RECEIVED_CODE, a PAIR_TELEGRAM_NEW_CODE block will follow automatically (up to 5 regenerations); show the new code. On PAIR_TELEGRAM STATUS=failed ERROR=max-regenerations-exceeded, ask the user if they want to try again and re-invoke the step — each invocation starts a fresh 5-attempt batch. Success emits PAIR_TELEGRAM STATUS=success with PLATFORM_ID, IS_GROUP, and ADMIN_USER_ID. The service must be running for this to work (the polling adapter is what observes the code).
• supports-threads: no
• typical-use: Interactive chat — direct messages or small groups
• default-isolation: Same agent group if you're the only participant across multiple chats. Separate agent group if different people are in different groups.